Playing at Hill Dickinson brought Everton 'pride'

Everton's first Women's Super League match at Hill Dickinson Stadium brought a sense of "pride" for Brian Sorensen despite the scoreline.

The Toffees lost 4-1 to Manchester United but welcomed 18,154 fans to the ground and midfielder Honoka Hayashi became the first female to score there in the WSL.

"I thought it was a great experience and those are the opportunities the new ownership are giving us. We're really grateful for it," said Sorensen.

"It's a day we'll think back to with a lot of pride. Of course we're gutted that we couldn't keep the performance [going] over the 90 minutes."

United boss Marc Skinner experienced the stadium for the first time and described it as "daunting" given its size and stature.

"It's massive. I've never been to Goodison Park either but it's a lovely stadium and the facilities are well-thought out," added Skinner.

"Playing at Wembley and Old Trafford and all of those places has helped us. That probably gave us an advantage."

The women's team made Goodison Park their home this season but opted to take advantage of the men's international break to host a game at Hill Dickinson.

It has also been a request from the league for clubs to attempt to host at least one game a season at their designated 'bigger' ground, to attract more fans.

Everton season ticket holder Marc Roche has been to the stadium to watch the men's team but brought his younger siblings Christine and Alfie Edwards for the first time on Sunday to support the women.

"I really enjoyed the game despite the scoreline and it was good to support the women's team and experience something different," Roche told BBC Sport.

"I've managed to catch a few of the women's games on TV this season and been impressed with the style of football, especially the derby [win against Liverpool].

Christine and Alfie added: "We wanted to see the new ground, support the women and start a new tradition. We're hoping we can make a lot of the Goodison Park games this year."